Washing machine



G. S. BLAKESLEE.

WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 23, 1918.

1,404,57 Patented Jan. 24,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- ImfenTJr G. S. BLAKESLEE.

WASHING MACHINE.

AL'FLICATION FILED AUG. 23. I918.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Invent fr or: LOWS,

UNITED STATES PATENT ornca.

GEOIBGE S. BLAKESLEE, OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WASHING MACHINE.

I To all wh om it may concern.

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. Bmxnsmn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in WashmgMachines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

- This invention relates to improvements 1n machines for washing articles by throwing water on and against them as such articles ,are moved past the water-discharging means, and is applicable forwashing a large variety of articles including dishes and hea castings. As very generally constructed eretofore machines of the type mentioned have employed as the water elevatin and dlscharging means one or more pa dle-wheels, eachlocated at one side of and adjacent to the line of travel of the carrier that supported the articles to be washed. Such paddle-wheel constructions have been found very effective, but in some situations the machines. occupy more space than can be well spared for them. It is the object of my present invention, to provide improved means for raising the water and dischargin it over the articles, such means having a vantages in various ways over the paddlewheel construction. Briefly stated, the improvements made by me and some of the advantages derived therefrom are as follows: At one side of the closed tank through which the articles to be washed ,are moved I provide an endless conveyor comprising, in the construction shown, two endless link belts having secured between them a plurality of buckets, each of said belts passing overtwo sprocket wheels located one above the other, the lower one being so positioned relative to the body of-water mamtained in the tank thatthe buckets will be successively filled,

the water so carried up being discharged as the buckets are turned over as the belts pass around the upper sprockets. With respect to the advantages of such construction over the wheel type of water elevator it is pointed out that my im rovements enable the tank toljbe made muc narrower than if awheel having the same capacity were employed, for where a tank has to be constructed of considerable height to properly receive tall articles, such as some kinds of castings, the water elevating and discharging means can be made of any length desired so as to dis- Specifieation of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.-

Application filed August 2a; 1918. Serial in. 251,132.

with less expenditure of power than a wheel of the same carryin capacity and the speed thereof can be gra uated sothat the water discharged over the articles will strike thereon at any desired distance from the point where the water dischargedfrom the elevating means. I accomplish the results stated by the devices andcombinations of devices shown in the drawingsand hereinafter particularly described, and those things which I believe to benew will be set forth in ,the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a rear view of a washing machine embodying my improvements, a" portion of the rear wall of the tank being broken away to show rtions of the operative'mechanism; and f Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section taken at line 22 of Fig. 1. I

Referring to the drawings: 5 indicates a casing which is best made of sheet metal and approximately rectangular in shape. As shown, it is supported by legs'fi. The lower portion of the casing is so formed as to hold a considerable body of water, as indicated, and this lower portion is divided by a transverse partition 7, as usual, thus dividing the tank into two water containing compartments, the water in one being that which is first used, as for washing purposes, and the other compartment containing the water that is used for rinsin purposes. Suitable pipe connections are sl own which need not be particularly described, such connections supplying the two water compartments with hot and cold water.

as I

' at each side of the partition 7 respectively, and the upper part of the carrier being supported by fixed tracks 12.

' Opposite the compartment through which the endless carrier moves is a water elevating and discharging apparatus that takes the-water from the body of water in the lower part of the receptacle and discharges it near the upper wall of such receptacle over and upon such articles as may be placed upon the endlem carrier. Such water elevatingand discharging apparatus comprises two link belts 13, spaced a distance apart and-connected together by a plurality of long buckets or troughs 14, said link belts each passing around sprocket wheels 15-16, placed one above the other, said sprocket wheels being secured respectively to shafts 1718. In the construction shown, I have provided two of the endless water elevating devices just described, one being provided so as to act respectively upon the wash water and the rinsing water. Each water elevating device is located in a rectangular, compartment formed with and extending out from the main body of the casing 5, and of a depth sufficient to prevent the bucket means 14 from striking against any articles that may rest on the endless carrier near the inner edge of such carrier. These projecting compartments, in which the two elevating mechanisms are housed, are each indicated by 19. So locating these water elevating mechanisms in the two outwardly projecting housings permits of a very desirable arrange ment for a driving means common to the endless carrier 89 and the two sets of water elevating mechanisms. Such driving means comprises the shaft 17, before re ferred to, which is made long enough, as shown in Fig. 1, to serve as the support for the upper sprocket wheels 15 of both sets of water elevating mechanisms.

As shown, this shaft 17 extends across the space between the two housings 19, standing away from the rear wall of the casing 5 a suiiicient distance to accommodate a pulley 20 that is made fast to the shaft, around which pulley passes a from a pulley on the shaft of a motor, indicated by 22, that is mounted on top of the caslng 5,the support for such motor extending also, in the construction shown, over and upon the top of one of the projecting housings 19. 23 indicates bearings for the shaft, secured respectively to the side walls of the rojecting housings 19. One end of the shaft 17 has secured to it a worm 24 meshing with a worm gear 25, the shaft of which is supported by a bracket 26, and upon such shaft is secured a sprocket 27, around which pames a sprocket chain 28 that also passes over another sprocket be carried to driving belt 21 driven wheel 29 that is fast on the outer end of the shaft to which the carrier sprockets 10 are secured.

In operation, the endless carrier 89 and the water elevating and discharging devices wlll be simultaneously moved, as will be understood from the description of the foregoing drivingmeans, and when so moved the trough-like buckets 14 will, of course, be successively filled with water and carried up and discharged into the main body of the casing 5, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, such discharged water falling upon and cleansing such article or articles as may be borne by the carrier such discharging mechanism. With some articles it may be desirable to have the water dashed upon them and to also have the water thrown over near the front wall of the casing, while in other instances it will suflice to have the water discharged with less force and nearer the longitudinal center of the casing. Such variations'as to force and distance can be provided' for by the speed with which the water elevating mechanisms are moved. In many situations head room is more available than floor space, and my improvements are admirably adapted to be embodied in theconstruction of carried up to a considerable height, but where only a limited amount of floor space can be had. This is true because the endless water elevating mechanism can, of course, a very considerable height by increasing the height of the casing and without having to at all increase the floor space, whereas to provide a paddle wheel that would deliver the same amount of water and deliver it at the same height would require a very material increase in the floor space occupied by the machine.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

washing machine comprising in combination a. casing having a chamber for containing articles to be washed, an endless belt at one side of said chamber, a series of water buckets attached to said belt, and means for movin saidbelt to cause said buckets to successive y discharge their contents upon the articlesin said chamber. I

2. A washing machine comprising in combination a casing having a-chamber for containing articles to be washed, a water conveying and discharging mechanism at one side of said chamber, and means for moving said mechanism to discharge successive quantities of water upon the articles in said chamber, said mechanism comprising two endless belts and a plurality of buckets extending between said belts.

GEORGE S. BLAKESLEE,

and moved opposite with considerable force,

a machine that can be I 

